September 10, 2016

KaPow! Bullet Journals

I tried and gave up looking for a way to organize my life using
countless calendars and later, list making apps.

Bullet journals are a way of organizing
and writing lists in a plain old notebook. I discovered it in law school and
recently, judging by the number of articles, it is a hit.

They help organize everything from big work projects to minor
activities in one notebook. It appeals to me since I use my smartphone for just
about everything else in my life.

It isn’t fancy; it isn’t technological, but that is the point.
The act of writing something down, as I have oft told my very creative sister,
as opposed to interacting with a screen, helps one stay focus and feel
organized. It even frees up mental space and simplifies my life. The biggest
proponent of bullet journals is the noted author, Ryder Carroll. Four million
people have watched his YouTube How-to videos.

The journal works on the principle that nothing, not an idea, a
hope, an appointment, need be lost if you write it down. First you go out and
buy a good notebook that will last. I prefer the Day-Timer series of notebooks
and reference journals. First you start writing tasks and events. Events are
represented by an “O” bullet. I use a highlighter with different colors for
work, fire department, school, personal and action items. When tasks are
completed, a check mark goes on.

From there, more layers of complexity are added, monthly logs
and future logs. Subject logs around projects. Have a thought? Write it down as
a note with an exclamation point in front of it. Is it particularly pithy or
brilliant? Enclose the topic word in an open star.

The system requires you to go back and look at and rewrite
tasks over and over again. There is a crucial difference with digital to-do
lists because it requires reflection. If you have written down “Call Penny”
three times, and the idea of writing down “Call Penny” again makes you ill, it
might be time to consider not calling Penny.

My original efforts at keeping track of work schedules
overwhelmed me in law school. I had been using an academic calendar to organize
my life but it wasn’t working.I
put too many things on my to-do list and I felt discouraged at the end of the
day and the week. All these things that didn’t end up happening.

Wring in my bullet journal required more effort so I was
careful about what I put on the list. Priorities came into focus. I now work on
my journal for a half hour before going to bed using it to track not just work
and school but eating habits and exercise. In the morning I flip through the
pages as I drink my coffee. I carry it with me everywhere. Planning your life
should not feel like work, it should be fun.

I read an article from Carleton University that said studies
have shown that students that take notes remember more of the lecture than
students who type notes. The same principle applies to analog versus digital
to-do lists. Writing things down requires the listener to process the
information. I believe that there is an emotional component to list-making.
When you get on an app and plan too far ahead, it can create anxiety.
Handwriting is totally personal. Every time you write it’s different from any
other moment.

Go to a Starbucks and everyone is on laptops or smartphones. I’m
in my Bullet Journal.